Signal for letter-drops.



PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

M. s. FIELD. SIGNAL FOR LETTER DROPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

MARGELLUS S. FIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SlGNAL FOR LETTER-DROPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,233, dated. July 5,1904.

Application filed March 23, 1904-.-

To all when 1 111; may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARoELLUs S. FIELD, a citizen of the United States,.residing in Boston. in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improve ment in Signals for Letter-Drops, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a novel device by which a signal may be given whenever a letter is dropped into a letter-drop. The invention is especially useful in connection with the specialdelivery letter-drop in post-oflices, as it gives a signal whenever a special-delivery letter is deposited in the post-oflice, and thus calls the attention of the employees to this fact.

The invention, however, is not limited in its use to special-delivery letter-drops, as it can be applied to any letter-drop whether in apost-oflice, private olfiee, or any other place.

In making the present invention it has been my aim to provide an extremely simple but eflective device and one which can be applied to any letter-drop.

The invention consists, broadly, in asignal which is operated by the manual operation of inserting a letter through a letter-drop, and I prefer to employ an audible signal rather than a visual one. Most letter-drops have a flap which normally closes the opening of the drop, and my improved signal is so constructed that the lifting of the flap operates the signal.

Since it is impossible to drop a letter through the opening of the letter-drop without lifting the flap, it is obvious that the signal will be operated every time a letter is delivered.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of a letter-drop. Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof showing one form of my signal applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a section on the line no (1:, Fig. 2.

3 designates the partition, door, or wall, which is provided with the opening 4, consti:

- tuting a letter-drop such as is found in nearly all oiiices and in post-offices generally. 5 deslgnates the usual finishing-plate covering the means of which it is operated.

Serial No. 200,272. (No model.)

opening on the front side of the door, and (i the usual flap which closes the opening, said flap being held closed by a suitable spring 7.

The parts thus far described may be of any suitable or usual construction and form no part of my present invention, they merely constituting one familiar form of letter-drop.

In the drawings 1 have illustrated an extremely simple form of my invention in which 8 designates an ordinary bell such as is familiarly used on bicycles, said bell having a linger-piece or arm 9 projecting therefrom by The form of bell which I have herein shown is one which gives what is called the electric ring -that is, one in which movement of the lever 9 causes the hammer to strike the bell a plurality of blows in very rapid succession.

As stated above, the bell is operated by raising the flap, and in order to transmit the opening movement of the flap 6 to the bell I provide an operating member 10, herein shown as L-shaped, one arm, 12, of which is pivoted to the wall, door, or partition 3, as at 11, and the other arm, 13, of which projects into the opening 4 and stands in a position to be engaged by the flap when the latter is raised. The arm 12 is of such a shape that its outer edge stands underneath the bell-arm 9, with the result that when the flap is raised to admit a letter, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, the member 10 is turned about its hinge or pivot and the operating-arm of the hell 8 raised, thus causing the bell to sound. As soon as the letter has been deposited the spring 7 assisted by the usual spring inside of the bell, causes the member 10, and at the same time the arm, 9 of the bell, to resume its normal position, and during this operation the bell is again sounded. If necessary, a suitable spring operating on the upper end of the arm 12 of the lever may be employed to assist the return of the parts to their normal position. In this form of the invention, therefore, the bell will be sounded both when the flap is raised to admit of a letter and when the flap resumes its normal position, thus giving a double signal.

I propose to employ in connection with my signal a basket or other receptacle 20 to receive the mail, and I prefer an open-work or reticulated receptacle, as this has the advantage that the employee in the post-office or the person in the oflice or room where the signal is used can tell at a glance whether a letter has been deposited whenever the signal sounds. It sometimes happens that persons will raise the flap of a letter-drop in mischief or by mistake Without dropping a letter through the drop, and by using the reticulated or open-work receptacle it is possible to see Whether a letter has been actually deposited or not.

21 designates a sliding member secured to the inside of the door or partition 3 and which a may be thrown inwardly underneath the opcrating member 10 when the latter is in its dotted-line position, Fig. 3, for the purpose of holdingsaid memberin such position. The slide 21 is used in this way when it is desired that the signal should not be operated every time the flap is raised. WVith this device applied to the drop therefor it is possible to render the signal inoperative whenever desired.

The device, such as I have above described, is extremely simple and can be applied to any ordinary letter-drop of any construction which has the usual flap 6, and it is especially useful for giving notice to employees in postofiices Whenever special-delivery letters or other letters which need immediate attention have been deposited.

Although I have illustrated in the drawings the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is a very simple and inexpensive construction, and on this account has many advantages, yet it will be obvious that various changes in the details and arrangement of the parts may be employed Without departing from the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A letter-drop having an opening through which letters may be inserted, an inwardlyopening flap normally closing said opening, a pivoted operating member having a portion projecting into the openingand adapted to be engaged by the flap when the latter is swung into open position, a signal operated by the swinging movement of the operating member, and means to hold the operating member in its inoperative position. v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARCELLUS S. FIELD. l/Vitnessesz Louis C. SMITH, MARGARET A. DUNN. 

